Leaving on a Jet Plane
by roundin3rd
Summary: Pacey gets drafted into the army and writes letters to Joey while he is overseas fighting in Iraq. Complete
1. Default Chapter

Now the time has come to leave you, one more time let me kiss you,  
  
then close your eyes, I'll be on my way.  
  
Dream about the days to come when I won't have to leave alone,  
  
about the times I won't have to say:  
  
kiss me and smile for me, tell me that you'll wait for me, hold me like you'll never let me go.  
  
'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again. Oh, babe, I hate to go.  
  
I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again. Oh, babe, I hate to go.  
  
- John Denver Leaving on a Jet Plane  
  
February 23,2003  
  
Dear Joey,  
  
I arrived at Parris Island about three weeks ago. Basic training has started, we are working really hard.  
  
I met a guy from Hyannis, Mass. His name is Dave. He has a wife, Sarah, and a new baby girl, Kerry. We are bunking together. He is a really cool guy and has a great sense of humor.  
  
I miss you so much already Jo. I promise I will write to you all the time and will always be thinking of you.  
  
I love you,  
  
Pacey 


	2. Going to Iraq

April 4, 2003  
  
Dear Joey,  
  
Well, they are sending us out now, to Iraq. We have been working hard for about three months now. And they feel that we are ready.  
  
I don't want you to worry about me Jo. I will be careful. I'll think about you everyday. As everyday goes by, I will miss you more and more. I don't know how long we are going to be over there, but it looks like it will be a long time.  
  
Right now, I wish I could just get out of this and come back home to you. You are my everything, Joey. I love you.  
  
Always,  
  
Pacey 


	3. Cold and Rain

May 19, 2003  
  
Dear Joey,  
  
It hasn't stopped raining here for about two weeks. It is very cold and all we can do is sit in our tents and try and keep warm. I'm waiting for the rain to stop so I can see the stars at night.  
  
Dave showed me a picture of his daughter the other day. She is so cute. He says that watching her birth was the best moment in his life. I can't wait until we have kids of our own.  
  
I miss you so much, Potter. I wish that I can see you and kiss you very soon. I love you, Jo.  
  
Always,  
  
Pacey 


	4. Get Me Out

October 18, 2003  
  
Dear Joey,  
  
It is really horrible here Joey. Everywhere I turn, there is someone blowing themselves up or there is a bomb in a building. I have been doing the best that I can to help all of these people. They are so innocent. They shouldn't be subjected to all of this violence and terror. I saw a little girl the other day. She was huddled by the side of the building, her clothes were torn and she had ash and dirt in her hair. She was holding a little rag doll, and she was crying. It was at that moment I realized just how horrendous and terrible this war had become. Innocent women and children are being subjected to this awful crime. I am doing the best I can. I want you to know that. They took Dave. They grabbed him and three other soldiers and threw them in a truck, never to be seen again. You could see it in their eyes that they already knew that they have done all that they could and this was the end of the road. I pray everyday that they will come back to us, but everyday the chances become slimmer and slimmer. It kills me to think that his daughter will never remember the wrinkles on her father's face when he laughed, his witty personality, or his loving heart. I need someone Joey. I need you. You were the one that always made everything better; please make this better Jo. I need to escape from this nightmare.  
  
I miss you,  
  
Pacey 


	5. Leaving

December 14, 2003  
  
Dear Joey,  
  
I'm coming home Jo, they're sending us home. God, I am so thankful and glad that I'm leaving this place. All of the guys are already talking about their Christmases and how they'll celebrate. I told them that I was the luckiest one. I told them that I am getting the best present of all, spending Christmas with you.  
  
We're going to be flying into Otis Air Force Base in Bourne around the twenty-first or twenty-second. I can't wait to see you Joey. I love you.  
  
See you soon, Pacey 


	6. Home for Christmas, and For Good

Joey finished reading the letter as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She missed him so much and hadn't seen him for almost a year. Now, finally, he was coming home to her.  
  
There wasn't a single day that she didn't think about him. She kept a candle lit in the front window of their apartment for him.  
  
Joey sat down on the couch and looked over at the Christmas tree. It was hard to decorate it without him. So many memories were kept in those storage boxes. The tree was glowing with beautiful white lights and had funky ornaments that she had made when she was little. Joey couldn't believe that her mother had kept those ornaments for all those years. There was one ornament that was her favorite. It was a picture frame that she had made out of popsicle sticks and puzzles pieces when she was younger. In the frame, Joey put a picture of herself and Pacey when they were little.  
  
Joey hated to think about how bad Pacey was feeling overseas. Watching him get on that plane was one of the hardest things to watch. She was crying, and just before Pacey entered the plane, he turned to her, blew a kiss and smiled; the last time she would see him smile for eleven months.  
  
But now, she smiled, because now Pacey was coming home. He was coming home to her for Christmas.  
  
***  
  
The ice-cold, thirty-five degree wind stung Joey's face as she anxiously watched the sky for any sight of Pacey's plane. A small crowd was gathered around her, waiting for their loved ones to return to them. Then she saw it. Joey watched as the enormous plane pulled up and stopped right in front of them.  
  
A crewmember wheeled a ramp up to the plane hatch and the door was opened. The people gathered around them raised their American flags and cheered as their heroes started to get off of the plane. Joey moved up to get a better look of the soldiers walking off of the plane.  
  
Then Joey saw him slowly walk down the steps. She gasped and covered her mouth. Pacey saw her and they ran toward each other. Joey started crying as he lifted her up into his strong arms. "I missed you so much." She sobbed. "I missed you too." Pacey whispered. He buried his head in her hair. She always smelled so good, he missed her smell.  
  
Pacey set Joey down, kissed her and enveloped her into another hug. "I love you so much Joey." Joey started to cry harder. Pacey smiled at her and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "Don't cry Joey," He whispered, "I'm home for Christmas." Joey smiled and hugged him as hard as she could. "Yes you are Pace, yes you are." 


End file.
